Kenneth Cloudsley Clare (8 June 1929 – 11 January 1985) was a British

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

drummer.

Early life

Born in

Leytonstone Leytonstone () is an area in east London, England, north-east of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, a local authority district of Greater London. It adjoins Wanstead to the north-east, Forest Gate to the south-east, ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

, England, Clare learnt to play the drums at the age of 13.

Career

In 1947, Clare joined the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

and played with various service bands. He played with Oscar Rabin on UK radio in his early 20s. Following this, he played with

Jack Parnell John Russell Parnell (6 August 1923 – 8 August 2010) was an English musician and musical director. Biography Parnell was born into a theatrical family in London, England. His uncle was the theatrical impresario Val Parnell. During hi ...

and then with the

Johnny Dankworth Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females. Varian ...

Orchestra in 1955 and remained with this orchestra for five years until September 1960. He also worked with the

Dudley Moore Dudley Stuart John Moore CBE (19 April 193527 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. Moore first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writ ...

Trio. In the 1960s, he played with

Ted Heath Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 191617 July 2005), often known as Ted Heath, was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. Heath a ...

and

Ronnie Stephenson Ronnie Stephenson (26 January 1937 – 8 August 2002) was an England, English jazz drummer. He was one of the most in-demand drummers on the British jazz scene in the 1960s. Biography Stephenson was born in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, Sunderlan ...

, and played in the studios as a member of

Sounds Orchestral Sounds Orchestral was a British studio-based easy listening group, assembled by John Schroeder with Johnny Pearson in 1964. Career John Schroeder had worked with Johnny Pearson previously over at Oriole Records, producing Johnny Pearson's fi ...

. He stood in for

Kenny Clarke Kenneth Clarke Spearman (January 9, 1914January 26, 1985), nicknamed Klook, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A major innovator of the bebop style of drumming, he pioneered the use of the ride cymbal to keep time rather than the hi-ha ...

from 1963 until 1966 in the Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band when Clarke was unavailable. However, from 1967 to 1971 (when the band folded), Clare was a regular paired with Clarke in what became a two-drummer band for performances, concerts, and at least 15 recordings issued by several labels. Clare also accompanied singers including

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birth ...

, and

Cleo Laine Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth (born Clementine Dinah Bullock; 28 October 1927)Queen Elizabeth Hall The Queen Elizabeth Hall (QEH) is a music venue on the South Bank in London, England, that hosts classical, jazz, and avant-garde music, talks and dance performances. It was opened in 1967, with a concert conducted by Benjamin Britten. The ...

with fellow drummers

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York ...

and

Louie Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, ...

. Clare continued to work in the 1980s, predominantly with Dankworth and singer

Cleo Laine Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth (born Clementine Dinah Bullock; 28 October 1927)Hayle Hayle ( kw, Heyl, "estuary") is a port town and civil parish in west Cornwall, England. It is situated at the mouth of the Hayle River (which discharges into St Ives Bay) and is approximately seven miles (11 km) northeast of Penzance. ...

in Cornwall on 16 April 1984 and performed a 'drumming duel' with former professional and local drummer Jimmy French (in the photo shown) at the Penmare Hotel. Clare worked extensively for radio, television, film, and commercials. He served as secretary to the International Drummers Association.

Personal life and death

Clare had been admitted to

Westminster Hospital Westminster Hospital was a hospital in London, England, founded in 1719. In 1834 a medical school attached to the hospital was formally founded. In 1939 a newly built hospital and medical school opened in Horseferry Road, Westminster. In 1994 the ...

, London in November 1984 and had several operations for the removal of cancer from the oesophagus. He died on 11 January 1985, aged 55. The singer

held a benefit concert after his death as a tribute to Clare, who was a fan of Bennett. Clare was survived by his wife, a freelance London-based singer, Marjorie Daw. They had both been members of the Oscar Rabin Band in the early 1950s; she also sang with the Don Smith Orchestra. His two adopted twin daughters both died from breast cancer. Clare's enthusiasm never drained, always devoting time to other drummers and discussing techniques and the instrument. Even while in the hospital for two months, he kept his practice pads and drumsticks next to his bed.

Legacy

In November 2015, just over 30 years after his death, he was honoured with the installation of a

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

on his former east London home in Richmond Road,

, London.

Discography

With the

Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band The Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band was a jazz big band co-led by American drummer Kenny Clarke and Belgian pianist François "Francy" Boland. They were one of the most noteworthy jazz big bands formed outside the United States, featuring top ...

*''

17 Men and Their Music ''17 Men and Their Music'' is a live album by the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band featuring performances recorded in West Germany in 1967 and first released on producer Gigi Campi's own label.All Smiles Kirby James Fairchild is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist of the indie rock bands Grandaddy and Modest Mouse. Fairchild has released solo material under the pseudonym All Smiles. Biography B ...

'' (MPS, 1968) *'' Latin Kaleidoscope'' (MPS, 1968) *'' Fellini 712'' (MPS, 1969) *''

Volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...

'' (

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

, 1969) *'' Rue Chaptal'' (Polydor, 1969) *'' All Blues'' (MPS, 1969) *''

Clarke Boland Big Band en Concert avec Europe 1 ''Clarke Boland Big Band en Concert avec Europe 1'' is a live album by the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band featuring a performance recorded in Paris in 1969, originally broadcast on Europe 1 and released on the Tréma (record label), Tréma lab ...

'' (

Tréma The diaeresis ( ; is a diacritical mark used to indicate the separation of two distinct vowels in adjacent syllables when an instance of diaeresis (or hiatus) occurs, so as to distinguish from a digraph or diphthong. It consists of two dots ...

, 1969

992 Year 992 ( CMXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Worldwide * Winter – A superflare from the sun causes an Aurora Borealis, with visibility as fa ...

*'' Off Limits'' (Polydor, 1970) *'' November Girl'' (

Black Lion Black Lion, Black Lions, or Blacklions may refer to: Businesses and organisations * Black Lion, Hammersmith, a London pub * Black Lion, Kilburn, a London pub * Black Lion Records, a British jazz record company * Black Lions Films, associated wit ...

, 1970

975 Year 975 ( CMLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor John I raids Mesopotamia and invades Syria, using ...

- with

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpre ...

*''

Change of Scenes ''Change of Scenes'' is an album by saxophonist Stan Getz, Francy Boland and the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band which was released on the Verve label in 1971.

'' (

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * ''The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee ho ...

, 1971) - with

Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of ...

References

Notes

External links

Kenny Clare Discography
''Discogs.com'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Clare, Kenny 1929 births 1985 deaths English jazz drummers British male drummers Musicians from London 20th-century English musicians 20th-century drummers 20th-century British male musicians British male jazz musicians Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band members Oscar Rabin Band members